The Government could still be in time to approve before the elections the announced regulation of electric scooters and the limitation to 30 km / h of streets one lane in each direction in all populations. This is what the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) believes, which has accelerated the processing of the reform of the regulations of vehicles and traffic that include these measures to the point that it has already made its final proposal and has sent it to the Ministry of Transport.
The calendar that was initially marked by the DGT set July 1 as the best date to approve the changes. It was consistent with the period of about six months that this type of reforms is usually delayed. For this reason, the same general direction, Pere Navarro, initially thought that he was not going to arrive on time when Pedro Sanchez announced that the general elections were to be held on April 28.
Without parliamentary procedure
Subsequent consultation with his technical services has convinced him that the deadline, although tight, could be sufficient. Being a Royal Decree, it does not have to go through the Cortes and only depends on the agility with which the Government processes it. The DGT has been used thoroughly. It has responded in two weeks to the more than 400 allegations presented during the public information period and has introduced some modification as a result of them. Now it is left for Interior to validate the text and to examine it the rest of the ministries involved.
"We have given absolute priority to the processing because we believe it includes important improvements in road safety, demanded by municipalities and most entities in the sector," explained the CEO.
The proposal to reduce speed to 30 km / h (now it is 50 km / h in all streets) was launched after most of the large cities in Spain asked the DGT, which also demanded The generic regulation of the scooters will help to put an end to the disorder created by its rapid emergence. Entities such as the Association of Professional Cyclists (ACP) have also urged Traffic to try to approve the regulations before the elections.
Neither sidewalks nor roads
The draft decree establishes that electric scooters cannot go on the sidewalk or transit through "urban tunnels, crossings, highways, highways, and conventional roads." They will have to be designed for speeds between 6 and 25 km / h and a maximum power of 2 kW. With higher powers and speeds will be considered mopeds and therefore subject to homologation, license and registration.
To be able to move, the scooters must carry a sticker with a specific color and a code. The badge will serve to prove that the model has been certified by an official laboratory and show the category to which it belongs. The certification will be carried out by the manufacturing company. The decree provides for a moratorium of one year for this aspect to take effect.
It is also established that only one person can travel on the scooters, they cannot carry a saddle and they must carry some kind of reflective material. Being considered vehicles, their drivers can be subjected to alcohol and drug controls. It will not be necessary to hire insurance, wear a helmet or reflective vest.